Last June saw the start of the EU-funded EuroCirCol project, a design study for a post-LHC hadron collider in which the Cockcroft Institute is playing an important role. The study has received 3 M€ within the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Program to produce a conceptual design of a 100 TeV hadron collider by 2019, in time for the next update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics. The project is part of the wider Future Circular Collider (FCC) study coordinated by CERN and brings together an international consortium of 16 beneficiary organisations, including the University of Liverpool, University of Manchester, and STFC.
On 19th – 20th November 2015 a meeting was held at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Orsay (France), gathering more than 50 scientists and engineers of EuroCirCol to review the progress made in the last six months in each of the work packages.
Members of the Cockcroft Institute, Reza Valizadeh, Oleg Malyshev, and Rob Appleby are involved in the design of the 100 km long arc and the development of a cryogenic beam vacuum system to cope with unprecedented synchrotron light power, whereas Carsten Welsch and the EU Team are in charge of communication and dissemination.
The discussions held during the meeting evidenced how much the EuroCirCol project is pushing the limits of technology and entering uncharted territory. They also demonstrated the strong interdependence of the characteristics of the different elements of the accelerator. Both aspects of the project define the enormous challenge that lies ahead in the FCC study.
One of the priorities established in the kick-off meeting in June was to recruit the highly qualified research staff needed to carry out this ambitious project. Most positions have been filled but some are still available (https://fcc.web.cern.ch/Pages/Oportunities-For-Individuals.aspx).
An international FCC conference will be held in Rome from 11th to 15th April 2016 (http://fccw2016.web.cern.ch/fccw2016/), to follow on the design progress and set the goals for the coming year. Dedicated technology R&D programmes will be presented and an open poster session will provide a platform to showcase new concepts and technologies related to the FCC study. A satellite meeting concerning the EuroCirCol project in particular will also take place during the FCC week. Participation of industry and potential future partners is highly encouraged.